Tennis beats Polson for first time in 20 years
Will Pickard serves against Polson.
The Columbia Falls tennis teams turned in dominant performances on their home courts Thursday, sweeping a pair of duals against visiting Polson and Libby. Both the boys and girls teams picked up victories in each match, showcasing clutch play.
Against Polson, the Wildcat boys rolled to a 6-1 win, while the girls pulled off a 5-2 victory. Later in the day, the Wildcats battled Libby, with the boys emerging with a 5-1 decision and the girls edging the Loggers 4-3 in a tightly contested matchup.
“Wildcats played some amazing tennis today,” said Columbia Falls head coach Michele Ramage. “We won both duals against Polson and Libby for both boys and girls. As Polson coach Bob Hislop was leaving, he said to me, ‘I don’t think our girls have lost on these courts in 20 years…’”
Girls Take Two With Clutch Doubles Play
The Wildcat girls leaned heavily on their doubles teams to carry them through both duals.
In the win over Polson, the Wildcats dropped the top two singles matches but roared back with five straight wins. Apani Awua and Fiona Bryant delivered key singles victories, while all three Columbia Falls doubles teams won in straight or comeback fashion. Alanis Petersen and Aliyah Arends picked up a 6-2, 6-3 win, Lucy Love and Madi Yerian rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, (10-6) win, and Khloe Perry and Kristina Tamburelli sealed the team victory with a 6-1, 6-3 decision.
Later in the day, it was more of the same against Libby. The top two singles spots went to the Loggers, but Columbia Falls answered with a forfeit win by Ella Heppner and a hard-fought straight-sets win from Ava Scholz. Once again, the doubles teams delivered in high-pressure moments. Petersen and Love stormed back for a 2-6, 6-4, (10-7) win, and Perry and Tamburelli capped the team win with a 7-6 (7-0), 6-3 performance. Awua and Yerian also claimed a win due to a Libby forfeit.
Boys Dominate With Depth
The Wildcat boys cruised past Polson with six match victories, dropping only one singles match.
Sol Masters and Bruno Feijoo Vazquez led the way with gritty singles wins. Masters pulled out a tight 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) decision, while Vazquez won in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, (11-9). William Oberholtzer added a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win, and all three doubles pairings came away victorious. Will Pickard and Silas Ypma won 6-4, 6-1; the Jackson duo of Scholz and Bowler edged their opponents in back-to-back tiebreakers; and Jason Donsbach and Brady Heitz wrapped things up with a 7-5, 6-1 win.
Against Libby, the boys continued their strong play despite one match being called off due to darkness. Jax Ramage rebounded from an earlier loss to win 6-0, 6-2, and Masters continued his solid day with a 6-3, 6-2 win. Vazquez again came through under pressure, outlasting his opponent in a back-and-forth 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), (7-5) thriller.
While Pickard and Ypma dropped a three-set battle in doubles, Scholz and Bowler responded with a 6-1, 6-4 win. Donsbach and Heitz completed the day with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-1, (12-10) win.